Marvel's First Black Female Writer ...in 80 Years

Marvel has announced at San Diego Comic Con, that they will have their first black female comic book writer… ever. The Blerd Gurl, Black Girl Nerds, and hundreds upon thousands of comic book fans of diversity have expressed their passionate need for representation among the writing staff, and Marvel seems to be the first of the two monolith comic companies that seems to understand the importance behind these cries… or do they?

Marvel, why did it take you 80 years to hire a black female writer? And why did you need a man who has been writing for you for mere months to make it make the recommendation to make it happen? While I and thousands of other fans are ecstatic, we can’t ignore the fact that this simply took too long. This is a ground breaking step forward for comics and Marvel has already been trying serious hands at diversity but we’ve still got a ways to go.

But I digress, as not to further swipe away this accomplishment. We have been asking, and we have them! Black Women writers in Marvel! Author Roxane Gay and Poet Yona Harvey will be co-writing The World of Wakanda, a Black Panther spin-off series featuring the elusive Zenzi, and the renegade Dora Milaje lovers, Ayo and Aneka, in their own series. There aren’t many details as of yet but the series will Begin in November 2016.

Roxane Gay is currently writing a collection of Short Stories called Difficult Women, and has written several novels, including one called An Untamed State that will have a movie adaptation released in 2017. Regardless of the projects on her plate, she asserted that she could not turn down the opportunity to work on this book. She stated:

“The opportunity to write black women and queer black women into the Marvel universe, there’s no saying no to that.”

Marvel! This does not mean to stop here. This does not mean we are content with only two black women working on comic writing projects. Hire more! Bring that diversity into the company! Expand that universe both on page, and off and watch as you slowly, but surely change the industry for the better. Continue listening to your marginalized fans and do better!

Sceritz

Sceritz is John B. Robinson IV and John B. Robinson IV is a cosmic blerd with a passion for a obliterating the the IVth Wall and setting free the hordes of geek and fandoms scattered throughout the multiverse in the form of rants of epic proportions. Creator of IVWall.net.